04 | STOP WITH THE FINGER CLICKING PLEASE

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DARLING

"You need me to what?" The genie's irritatingly perfect eyebrows fly up, and it takes all of my willpower to not smack Seokjin in the face.

I nearly started crying this morning when I woke up to find him floating over my bed and playing with something - I had convinced myself that perhaps he was something I imagined, but seeing him right there making random noises while he concentrated on whatever he was doing... it reminded me that the plan I had been working on for more than seven years totally won't work!

He was alright yesterday, bearable at the very least, minus the whole showing-up-outta-nowhere and messing up my plan. Today, though, he's really getting on my nerves - I thought he was supposed to grant wishes, but all he seems to do is ask questions incessantly.

"I'll say this one last time. I need you to make the prince fall in love with me, stat. I am a woman on a mission and the longer you make me wait, the more grouchy I'm gonna get, 'kay?" When the genie does nothing but blink at me, I roll my eyes and rub a hand over my head with a sigh. "I said, okay?"

Seokjin stares me down for a second more. "I can't actually make anyone fall in love with anyone."

"You. What." That can't be right. This isn't how it was supposed to go. If I only have four wishes and can't even make the prince fall in love with me, then... "Then what the hell can you do?" My voice comes out sharper than intended, but I don't bother apologizing to the purple-haired genie.

I think he flinches, but he smoothes his expression so fast I'm not sure. "What can I do? I can make you rich beyond measure, the most powerful creature on Earth, get rid of all your enemies with a click of my fingers, the list is almost endless. Anything but more wishes, bringing someone back from the dead or messing with love, I can do it all."

I can't hide the bitter disappointment that puts a tremble in my voice. "That's not what I need though..."

"What?"

"Huh? Ah, nothing, just... Sorry for snapping at you." I take a peek at him out of the side of my eye to find him squinting at me. There's a furrow between his eyebrows, which he wills away when he notices me looking at him.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Maybe that was supposed to make me feel better, but instead, I feel like the biggest piece of shit.

"That's even worse, Seokjin. You're just trying to help, it's not fair for me to be so rude. Seriously, I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Seokjin scratches his neck, looking at the ground. "Oh. Uh. Apology accepted. But... what now?"

What now indeed?

The crowd had thickened around us as we got closer to Mansae, but all of a sudden, I couldn't figure why I was still going. I thought I had everything figured out, that I had a way to make my plan work, but instead, I get another blow to deal with.

I don't even know what I'm supposed to do now.

"Okay, you know what? It is waayyy too crowded and smelly in here for me to concentrate, lemme just—" Seokjin grabs my hand and clicks his fingers, and suddenly we're—

"Seokjin what the goddamn hell is wrong with you?! Where are we?" I bombard him with questions and Yoongi matches my confusion by yowling at Seokjin from his place on my shoulders. Even as I ask, though, a part of my brain recognises the trees we trekked through just an hour ago. "Why are we here again?"

Seokjin stares at me blankly without blinking. It's a little creepy.

"Hmmm, I wonder why. Oh, that's right, it might be because you want to marry the fucking prince? Did you not just spend the last four hours complaining to me about him and his dumb dad? So why? The hell? Do you want to marry him?"

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